HEC Paris Business School: How It Has Changed and Where It Is Going

What is HEC Paris business school today?

HEC Paris programmes run from a bachelor's degree to the Master in Management, specialised MSc degrees, the MBA, the Executive MBA, executive education and a PhD. The community spans around 135 nationalities, and the alumni network counts more than 80,000 members. Beyond the main campus, it runs HEC Paris Doha and offices in Dubai, the UK, North America, Asia and Africa.

Since 1 January 2016, HEC has been an EESC (a French consular higher education establishment) whose shareholders are CCI Paris Île-de-France, the HEC Foundation and HEC Alumni.

HEC Paris rankings at a glance

How has HEC changed since 2020?

Leadership came first. The HEC Paris dean, Éloïc Peyrache, ran the school's pre-experience programmes from 2009 to 2018, became acting dean in October 2020 and was named Dean and Director General in January 2021. Jean-Paul Agon chairs the board.

Programmes followed. Since January 2025, the MBA has offered a 12-month accelerated route alongside the 16-month format. The data offer has grown too: the MSc Data Science & AI for Business X-HEC, taught with École Polytechnique, is ranked second worldwide among business analytics masters by QS (2027). HEC also reports a new bachelor's with Bocconi blending mathematics, data, AI and social sciences.

The Gulf has become a second home. In 2010, HEC became the first European partner of Qatar Foundation's Education City and launched Qatar's first international Executive MBA. HEC Paris Qatar marked 15 years in 2025, now teaches in Msheireb Downtown Doha and runs Executive MBA intakes in Doha and Riyadh.

Rankings have moved slightly. The Master in Management was second in the FT ranking in 2024 and 2025, then fifth in 2026. In October 2026, Poets&Quants named HEC its 2026 Business School of the Year.

Where is HEC heading next?

The roadmap is a strategy called "New Responsibilities", backed by a €300 million fundraising campaign running to 2031. Its most visible part is the Campus of the Future: a €230 million plan to build or renovate 40,000 square metres of the HEC Paris campus, including a new Campus Heart with a library, innovation labs and an 850-seat auditorium. Construction is due to start in late 2026 and finish by summer 2031, in what has been described as the school's largest overhaul since 1964.

Peyrache links the project to changing student expectations, AI and geopolitics, and HEC's LIFT lab already studies how people use AI at work.

What does this mean for applicants?

Expect a campus in transition: if you start in 2027 or 2028, parts of Jouy-en-Josas will be under construction.

Read rankings with perspective: one move from second to fifth matters far less than fit.

Start from the life and career you want, then pick the degree:

• HEC MiM admissions: the Grande École programme for graduates with little or no experience.
• HEC MiF admissions: the MSc International Finance for future bankers and investors.
• HEC business analytics master: the closest HEC route into data and AI.
• HEC MBA admissions: for professionals with around six years of experience.
• HEC EMBA admissions: for senior leaders in France, Doha or Riyadh.

Frequently asked questions

Is HEC Paris still one of the best business schools in Europe?

Yes. HEC Paris business school has stayed in the top two of the Financial Times European Business School ranking since 2005 and was second in 2025. Its programmes also rank highly, including first for finance masters (QS 2027). Tables shift every year, so compare programmes, not just schools.

Does HEC Paris have a campus in Qatar?

Yes. HEC has been in Doha since 2010, when it became the first European partner of Qatar Foundation's Education City. Today HEC Paris Doha is based in Msheireb Downtown and offers Executive MBA intakes, the Emerging Leaders Track and executive education. The Master in Management, the MSc programmes and the full-time MBA are taught in France.